Nasrin Ahmad, left, and Jasmine Garcia-Vieux, right, are running for the Town of Hempstead clerk's position,

What are your goals, if elected?

Nasrin Ahmad: My very first goal is to continue working with this great staff — my friends and colleagues. My vision is to continue working with Kate Murray and her team to improve service for our residents. Her whole viewpoint is that we should provide better services at a lower cost, and I want to continue doing that. I also want to make sure that the office itself is user-friendly. Although it is the largest township in the country, we want to have that personal touch, and I want to let people know that I am available. We’re always looking to implement new programs and we will continue to do so.

Jasmine Garcia-Vieux: I want to open the doors to local government. It is my belief that the government should be inclusive and not exclusive. In order to make the clerk’s office accessible to all residents, I would like to streamline processes, extend office hours and put all forms and processes online. It’s time for us to embrace technology and make things more accessible. I also would like to hold the line on fees; unfortunately, they continue to rise, and I want to put a stop to that. And finally, I want to build and nurture relationships in the community through constant communication.

What new programs, procedures or services would you introduce or expand?

Nasrin Ahmad: I would like to make more forms available on our website. If residents could download more forms at home, fill them out and bring them to the office, it would cut down waiting periods. Everyone is very busy, and time is very precious. Although I have to look into the legality of this, I would also like to see what permits we could have residents apply for online.

Jasmine Garcia-Vieux: As soon as I get into the office, I want to review all processes to make sure everything is running efficiently. I want streamline processes in office to make sure the public is getting the information they need as quickly and efficiently as possible. I would also like to make more forms available in various languages. It is time that our government recognizes the changing demographics in the town. And again, we need to embrace technology. Therefore, I 100 percent agree with the idea that all Town Hall meetings be streamed online. Of all meetings held each year, only a handful are scheduled for after hours. We need to stream, or change the hours of those meetings, so we can have more citizens participation. That is also why we need to increase our office hours. There is no reason why the clerk’s office should close at 4:30 p.m. when most people work until 5 p.m. People should not lose time or money just because they need to access government.